


Whale of a Time

by StrawhatsAndDelibirds



Series: Modern verse [19]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:56:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21951049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawhatsAndDelibirds/pseuds/StrawhatsAndDelibirds
Summary: Nothing to see here but two old Kings and their whale friend.
Series: Modern verse [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1571110
Kudos: 17





	Whale of a Time

Now that he was mostly retired, Jimbei found himself looking for things to do to occupy his time. His friend who had graciously given him the job of supervising a building and minding its tenets was an easy job, so didn’t require a lot of his time. 

He made sure that everyone in the building had his number so they could call him in case of an emergency. He came in certain days of the month to collect rent, so he saw no real reason to move out of the current home he was in. He had finally gotten it the way he wanted it, and he had no intention of moving. 

But there was only so long he could spend in his zen garden in the back. He’d fix the sand, feed his kois, and meditate for a while, but then the rest of his day was empty. The long stretches of time made him almost miss the days where he’d get into illegal fights for cash. He was old now. It was time to make way for the next generation of fighters to make a name for themselves in the ring. 

He supposed there was one thing that he could do with his free time. There was money to spend, and he had almost exclusively time now, so there was no reason to not go to the local aquarium. He had heard rumors of them having quite the array of aquatic life. 

The was instant validation as he entered. The place was beautiful. There were massive tanks that seemed to go on forever, and fish of every colour swimming around in there. It was certainly a sight to behold. There was an added element of coming here alone, as there was no need for him to worry about holding up the group he was with. He could contently walk through and properly take in the serenity of his surroundings.

He would have to remember to keep in mind the day and time. During the day while the children were at school, he could also enjoy the calm. Though quiet would not quite be the word he would use. Now that he was reflecting on it, Jimbei could hear the faint sound of a violin a little ways away. 

He’d head that way and see what was going on. Perhaps a performer, playing in hopes that someone would come by and put some money in their cap. It seemed like a weird place for it, and it was certainly an inopportune time. He’d have been better off waiting for a few hours for when there were more people here. 

But approaching the area, Jimbei recognized the man. He had met him the odd time when visiting Ace and checking up on Luffy. He was one of Luffy’s friends, and he looked almost identical to that old Rock and Roll legend. It would be hard to miss someone like that. 

He didn’t have the same expression he usually did. Every time he saw him, he looked like a little kid that got caught. Here he didn’t even seem to notice him. He was standing on the spot where staff member would stand as they explained to the gathered group about whatever was in the tank, but he was facing toward the tank. Like he was playing for whatever was in it. 

Now Jimbei was especially curious. He couldn’t claim to know the man well, but it did seem like odd behaviour to him. The closer he got, he could hear whatever it was in the tank. It was almost like it was singing along to the melody. 

He took a seat down on one of the seats in the area and listened. Brook was an extremely talented musician. He would’ve never expected that he possessed the kind of patience and dedication it took to master something so beautifully. He supposed that he should know better than to judge a book by it’s cover. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least. 

“You’ve been practicing, haven’t you Laboon. You get better at them every time I come.” He praised. The beluga that was front and center squeaked with delight. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone be friends with a whale. I must say, I’m a little jealous.” He chimed in. He didn’t want to interrupt their moment, but it seemed just as weird to sit there and listen. It might not have been his business, but he was too curious about this whole deal to not interject. 

There was a little pang of guilt as he saw the man jump and let out a yelp. He clutched at his heart as if he had been on the verge of jumping out of his own skin. Perhaps he should have made himself more noticeable as he approached. He was used to less easily startled people after all. 

“When did you get here?!” He squeaked. 

“I barely sat down. I heard someone playing a room over and decided to investigate. Are you her old trainer?” There weren’t many other opportunities to befriend a whale. Even if shows weren’t much of a thing aside from being taught about the animal as it swam around, older animals couldn’t really be released into the wild. Especially if they were raised in captivity like this. 

“No, nothing as formal as that. Laboon is an old friend of mine. Back in my old rock and roll days, we used to come here and sing to the whales. Laboon was our first fan and we always made an effort to come back and play for him.” Brook’s shock turned into a sad sort of nostalgic smile. 

So he hadn’t been mistaken. Brook really was Soul King from the Bone Chillers. He wondered if the rest of the Bone Chillers were still alive somewhere. The last he had heard they had all died. But Brook was here, so that was obviously to some degree a lie. 

“Now we’re just a couple of old men who love music. It’s a shame they won’t let me bring in my guitar. They just aren’t as lenient as they were in the past. Can’t get my way in by signing different body parts anymore. Yo ho ho!” Brook chuckled, no doubt remembering dirtier memories. 

“You wouldn’t mind if I sat and listened, would you?” He was a talented musician, even if it wasn’t with the instrument he knew him best for. 

“Go right ahead! I’ll put on a show for the both of you that you won’t soon forget!” 


End file.
